A/N: I know it's been a while for this chapter, I've had a hard time finding inspiration for my writing, but suddenly it hit me and I wrote this in minimal time. I hope you enjoy. This has not been beta'd yet because my beautiful beta has just had a baby less than 2 months ago so she is enjoying life as a mother of 2.

Peace, Love, and Slyther,

Gimi aka Jess

As Hermione entered the dining room with Thorfinn following behind her, she refused to look at Draco, she could see his shoulders shaking in her peripheral vision, and she didn't want to set him off. Thorfinn sat down next to his sister when a small child ran in with violet hair and a little elf trailing behind him.

"Master Teddy, youz slow down!" The small elf scolded, "Youz a gentleboy, gentleboyz walk." The elf looked up Hermione, "Missy Lyra, Master Teddy is just as wild as you and Master Draco was."

Hermione laughed and thanked the little elf as Teddy took his seat next to Hermione. "Mione, Cheeks says I get to live with you! That will be great! Can you make my dragon burn the village next?"

Thorfinn raised an eyebrow, "Granger, who is this kid?"

Hermione looked up in surprise after confirming she would help Teddy take over the village later that evening, "This is Teddy Lupin. He and his grandmother are moving into LeStrange Estate tonight."

"Yes, Cheeks," Rodolphus said from across the table, "Please go home and have the other elves get two rooms ready for Andy and Teddy. Rooms close to Ly- er Hermione will be fine."

Cheeks nodded at Rodolphus, turning back to Hermione, "Youz behave Missy Lyra." and with that, she popped away.

That was the last straw for Draco, a bubble of laughter sprung from his lips. Hermione looked at him, and he laughed even harder, "Even the elf tells you to behave." Draco said followed by another round of chuckles.

Hermione could see, as her aunts both had tight smiles, but Hermione could tell that at least Andromeda, was holding back laughs of their own. Hermione just sighed and brought her napkin down on her lap as she waited for the laughter to die down.

Once upon a time, laughter at her expense may have brought her to tears, while she was always a confident know-it-all, teasing at her expense had always been her downfall. Since the end of the war and the lingering hate and destruction, she and Ginny had decided enough was enough. Befriending the Slytherins had turned out to be an unusual decision, but adjusting to their brand of teasing had been a bit of a lesson in thickening her outer shell. Today it was all in good fun, but then it had been hard to swallow. Hermione found that once she found her sarcastic voice, Slytherin house was not as hostile, but showed her a bit more respect. She had to admit, Pansy and Draco were a lot better at insults than Pavarti and Lavender had ever been.

OoOoOoO

Brunch began, and Narcissa began to rattle on about the plans for the wedding with input from Ingrid and Andromeda. Rodolphus had been chatting with Lucius when he glanced up and noticed his daughter's face. He watched as the women discussed flowers and locations as Hermione picked at her food, a glazed over look on her face. He almost laughed at the sight, noticing that she was very much like her mother. Bellatrix had not cared about the wedding, all she cared about was the marriage.

Rodolphus looked over and saw Thorfinn staring at Hermione as well, a frown marring his face as she had apparently tuned out the conversation around them. Roddy could tell that his daughter was a mystery to Thorfinn, most pureblood women would be salivating to marry a member of the Sacred Twenty Eight. Shaking his head, he wondered how long it would take Thorfinn to realise just how different Hermione was from other pureblood witches.

"Hermione, does that work for you?" Narcissa asked, snapping Hermione out of her trance.

"Hmm?" Hermione said, sitting up in her seat.

Narcissa gave her a tight smile, "I asked if you were free for a dress consultation with Madame Dupree in Paris sometime this week?"

Hermione couldn't suppress a groan and a grimace. It's not that she hated shopping, she rather enjoyed it, but she had spent the better part of a year looking for the wedding dress that was hanging at the Burrow. While she was sure, it was not the type of dress that would be appropriate for a LeStrange Wedding, the thought that she would never get to use it was like a knife to the gut. She had loved it, but it was a dress she had envisioned for a Weasley wedding. The first dress she had wanted Ron to see her in before they wed and it was never to be.

The truth was, she loved the dress she was going to marry Ron in, but she couldn't bear the thought of using the dress to marry her betrothed. It felt wrong somehow to use a dress she loved to marry a man she didn't. Another piece of her heart broke once again.

"That will be fine; I'm sure the girls would love a trip to Paris for shopping at the very least."

"Who will be attending the outing?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"Daphne Potter, Astoria Greengrass, possibly Ginny Weasley." Hermione listed off her girlfriends, "Pansy may have to work, but I'll let her know, she loves to shop." Hermione said with a resigned sigh. Looking over at Ingrid, "You are more than welcome to join us, Ingrid, if you'd like to help the girls find the dress."

Ingrid smiled brightly, "I would love to come, but what do you mean 'the girls'? Surely you mean you."

Hermione snorted, "I am not a fan of shopping trips, especially when I have to play Barbie for the girls." She said as she picked at her plate, "No I just stand back and let the girls find their favourites, and then I try them on so they can pick at my self-esteem."

Draco laughed, "You are worse than Blaise when it comes to dramatics Granger. It's a wedding dress, not a firing squad."

"Clearly you've never been shopping with Pansy and Daphne when you are the eye of their storm."

"No Mione, that colour pink is awful against your pale skin."

"Merlin Hermione, why do you dress like a little boy?"

"Hermione, they're called breasts, you're supposed to have two of them."

Rodolphus began to choke on his drink as she mimicked her friends and Hermione caught his eye and grinned. "Please tell me you're joking? Why shop with your friends, it sounds like torture."

Hermione laughed and nodded, "It is, I never shop with Pansy and Ginny. Daphne is a bit forgiving, and Astoria is darling, but the others are scary. I'd almost rather be tortured again, at least that made me stronger."

Rodolphus dropped his fork, wiped his mouth and excused himself into the gardens. Hermione blinked, realising what she had said, followed after him.

Thorfinn watched his fiancee run after her father in concern. He had to admit, the girl had more balls than a lot of criminals he had known in his life and being a Death Eater, he knew almost all of them. He sat back, listening to Narcissa and his sister continue talking like nothing out of the ordinary had happened, admiring how Lady Malfoy had planned most of this wedding with very little to do with the bride. Though Thorfinn was sure, Hermione would have more to say about it when she realised just what her aunt was planning. He didn't remember much about the chit, but he was sure she wasn't the extravagant type of witch.

OoOoOoO

Hermione had followed her father into the garden; she had watched as Rodolphus sat on a bench overlooking the pond. Hermione snickered at the white peacock strutting around the lake, sharing a strong resemblance to the first time she had met Draco's father, and Draco for that matter.

"Looks befitting of a Malfoy, doesn't he?" She asked as she sat next to him. He glanced over at her as she smirked, "Reminds me of Lucius when I first met his acquaintance. Arrogant arsehole,"

Rodolphus chuckled at that and nodded, "Not much has changed. Lu is still an arrogant arsehole from what I can tell."

Hermione sighed, "Yes, not much, yet everything has." She locked her grey eyes with her father, "I won't forget what has happened in this house, I will never forget what side you and my… Well, my whole family actually, I won't forget we were not allies those years ago. I can't help but think about if she had just said those two little words, I would have meant nothing to her but just another mudblood dead."

Rodolphus opened his mouth, but Hermione put up a hand to stop him, "No wait. I have to say this. I know it is the past and the circumstances of our past are what brought us here. I am not revengeful, and I don't wish anyone harm because of what happened to my friends or me. It had to happen, but my entire life, my entire existence has done a 180, and I am trying to come to terms of this."

Hermione looked down at her hands, missing the weight of her engagement ring from Ron, "It's only been a few weeks, and I've had my dreams dashed away. Narcissa is in there planning dresses, venues, and cakes. I don't even know what else as if I am okay with this. All I want to do is sit here and process, scream, and get as drunk as possible to forget about blood bonds and marriages." She glanced back up at him again, "I know I don't have that luxury, I understand that, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it."

"This is not the life I wanted for you Lyra," Rodolphus said with regret in his voice, "I wanted you to have a love of your life, such as I do with your mother. Once upon a time, you would have grown up with that love, you would have known Thorfinn, known of your betrothal and hopefully fallen in love before your bonding." He could see the tip of the faded redness on his left arm, just under the cuff of his sleeve.

"I only have one regret in this life. Well no, I have many regrets, but only one I wish I had been more firm. I wish I had never thought I could save my brother and made you a target. I wanted more than anything that I had taken you and your mother and ran from the war. That I had put my family, the family that matters, that I had put you before everything. I can never get those years away from you back, and it breaks me. But most of all, I can never make you understand just how much I regret that you will never actually believe that we are not evil because to you, we are. I will never be your father in the traditional sense; you had one of those. I hope to Salazar he deserved to have such a precious gem in his life, but I am destined to be the man whom you will never trust, forcing you to marry a man you can't trust with your heart because of a bond that is older than even myself."

Hermione listened to her father's words, she could feel the regret laced in his tone, "I did have wonderful parents. They taught me so much about being true to myself, but I can't help but wonder who I would have been if I had lived the life I was supposed to live. Would I have been like Draco was, an arrogant twat waffle?" Hermione cringed as the words just flowed out of her mouth without a filter. Rodolphus couldn't help himself; he snorted with laughter at his daughter using such language, his little pureblood princess had a bit of a vulgar edge. Hermione laughed as he did, "It's true! Draco was quite horrid when we were children." The both of them chuckled lightly.

"Where do we go from here Hermione?" Rodolphus asked with a bit of laughter still lacing his tone.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders as the last bit of mirth left her body, looking over at the damned bird strutting his feathers, "I don't know. Forward I guess. I can't marry Ron, but I don't want to hate my life. It's not like I have a choice, I've got less than six months til I die or marry. Narcissa is planning a wedding befitting a Black, whatever that means. Probably that I'll end up lost in a sea of acromantula silk or whatever is more fashionable or stylish."

"Tell her no."

Hermione sighed, "I can't. I've seen how she has already lit up with joy over this, over finding me again and while I don't give a piss about the wedding, I know she does." With one final glance around the garden, she said, "It's also going to be my only wedding, I may not love the circumstances or the man, I would like to have liked something about the day. If I'm going to be miserable, I prefer to be happy about something. Does that make sense?"

"Do you think your only choice is to be miserable?"

"No, I guess I could try and make the most of these last few months, try and find the silver lining as the muggles say, but it won't be easy. Thorfinn has sought to kill me on a few occasions."

"To be fair, you did align yourself with a walking target."

Hermione nodded, "Yes I did, and I've always been a bit of a swotty know it all. Draco wanted to hurt me on more than a few occasions."

"You and he seem to be the best of friends now though, could it be something that you could do with your husband to be?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know, I don't know anything about Thorfinn. I like his sister, I like how she can put him in his place, but he is another story entirely."

Rodolphus nodded, "I can't say I know him well, I was incarcerated while he was growing up and what little time I did spend with him, was not what you would call uh… bonding time."

Hermione snorted, "No I doubt whatever foul things you were meant to do in service of that wizard would have been an ideal way to get to know your future son-in-law," Rodolphus nodded his head in agreement as Hermione stood, "Let's go back in before they think I hit you or something. I think Narcissa may think I have a problem with hitting since I'm sure she knows that I punched Draco in the third year and now this thing with Thorfinn."

Rodolphus smirked as he stood and held out his arm to her. Hermione looked apprehensive, but cautiously took it as he led them back through the gardens, "Do you?"

Hermione grinned and said, "I don't know, I do have a vindictive streak that I'm sure is passed down the Black line through the women. I once held a member of the press in a jar in our fourth year because she was writing falsities about Harry, another boy, and myself," Hermione eyed her father as he looked over at her with amusement, "I daresay you don't seem like the type to do such things."

As they walked through the doors and down the hall, Rodolphus sniggered, "I hate to tell you, but that is a little bit of both. Your mother and I would do anything to avenge our family. Although I do say since you got a double dose of it, you started younger than we ever did." Hermione's laugh could be heard down the hall as they walked.

OoOoOoO

"Miss Granger, I believed you would be on leave still," Fillok the Goblin said to the curse breaker as she and Rodolphus walked into his office. Hermione sighed, knowing that even after all these years, she was still considered a risk to Gringotts.

"That is Miss LeStrange, Fillok," Rodolphus sneered at the creature. "Be careful with how you speak to my daughter."

"Ah, your daughter?" Fillok said, a look of mistrust in his eye. "Has that been confirmed by your ministry?"

Hermione nodded, taking the papers out of her bag. "I am here to open the LeStrange vaults to my father's access."

Fillok looked over the paperwork and grinned maliciously, "Ah see that will be a problem. See the LeStrange vaults have been locked due to theft, as you know very well Miss LeStrange. It is out of my hands for when they will be reopened."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the goblin, fed up with the condescension she always received for the past. She had been bringing back treasures for the bank for over seven years, and they still did not trust her. "Fine. I will be withdrawing my vault then. I believe that I will start banking with the French banking system. I'm sure my father would agree that it is time to move on from an establishment that is no longer considered secure."

Fillok glared at the girl in front of him, knowing what was being said, "You are not allowed to move your funds, it's within your contract as a British Gringotts employee."

"My daughter no longer needs to work, even without access to our vaults, she is a Black and therefore is entitled to a portion of the Black inheritance, she will also be a Rowle soon enough. She will not be in need of the LeStrange vaults right away, while this mix up is taken care of." Rodolphus said to the creature who was now fuming angry.

Hermione nodded in agreement, "Yes, consider this my notice. I will no longer need employment, I will be talking to Harry about switching the Black accounts this afternoon, and I'm sure they will consider moving his own. The Weasleys, aside from Bill, of course, might also be inclined to move branches. Now I don't know about Thorfinn, but once we are married, I'm sure he won't mind removing his galleons as well."

"Do not forget your other friends Hermione," Rodolphus said looking directly into Fillock's eyes.

"Oh yes, once I talk to Pansy, Astoria, Draco, and Blaise, I believe they too will feel that Gringotts is no longer what they are looking for to secure their galleons." Hermione took out her wand, "In fact, let me send them all a patronus now, I'm sure they will come down and begin the process," Hermione looked at Fillok who seemed to understand just how many wealthy pureblood families were going to be taking their galleons elsewhere if he continued this path. While the Weasleys were not among the bank's biggest clients, the LeStranges, Malfoys, Zabinis, and Greengrasses were, and all of them were high profile accounts. The bank would go bankrupt over the Malfoys leaving alone.

"I'm sure there is something we can work out Miss LeStrange," Fillok said quickly, anger still evident in his voice, "There is no need to resign. I only meant the vaults were locked because there hasn't been a LeStrange... ah... available to handle the inventory to make sure nothing else was missing."

"Hermione is a LeStrange," Rodolphus said, "No matter if she entered under Lyra or Hermione, the vault would recognise her magic. While the Flagrante and Gemino spells still worked around her and may have burned her, they would not activate at her first touch. Whatever they took was with her permission. Therefore there was no theft."

"We did not take anything from the vaults but the cup. We could not reach it without activating the curses, but we have not taken anything but the cup so inventory should be easy." Hermione said with confidence.

"There is still the matter of the dragon," Fillok began to raise his voice, "And the bank, you and your friends stole our security measure and destroyed the bank above."

Rodolphus had had enough, "Take the cost of repairs out of the LeStrange vaults. I will sign for the charges when I move our galleons. Hermione may do what she wishes with her private vaults, but the LeStrange ones will be moving to the French bank as soon as I am able." He looked at the creature with disdain, "I am sure Lucius would agree, I mean you let three teenage children break in, you admitted they destroyed your bank. I don't feel safe leaving our galleons in your hands."

"Father, I don't think that will be necessary,"

Hermione started, but Rodolphus cut her off, "No Hermione. This thing does not get to talk to my daughter like she is beneath him. You are a LeStrange and a Black, we no longer bow to anyone and certainly not the goblins," I will be sending a note to Lucius, I'm sure Draco will be down later today to close the Malfoy accounts. We are family, after all, we always stick together." Hermione nodded in agreement.

As Hermione stood to leave with her father, the manager of Gringotts entered, "Ah, Miss Granger, how are you today?"

"I have resigned Ragnast, I will be moving my vault to France, please set up the exchange," Hermione said firmly.

The goblin looked around the Magi to the goblin sitting at the desk. At Fillok's irritated nod, Ragnast tried to think quickly to save the bank. "Miss Gra-"

"Her name is Hermione LeStrange," Rodolphus spoke up loudly for the bank to hear, "She is my daughter, and you will treat her with respect. Unfortunately, it seems that this institution had taken to treating her as a thief when she saved the wizarding community. I will not stand for it, she is a heroine, even withstanding torture and you have the gall to sit there and talk to her as if she truly was filth?"

Hermione could see all eyes on her and wanted to floor to swallow her whole. Not many knew about her torture; she didn't want it to be public knowledge now. The Wizengamot had kept that part of the trials quiet on her behalf.

"Miss LeStrange, Hermione, I'm sure we can come to an understanding." Ragnast began.

Hermione shook her head, "No, I think we are done here. I loved working here Ragnast, truly I did. But Fillok has shown me that no matter what, I will always be the unworthy because of what I've done in my past. Even though it turns out that it was my family vault, you will always see me as the girl who stole from Gringotts; it's time we part ways."

She looked back to Fillok, "I will speak to the minister about opening the LeStrange vaults. Once they are opened, I would like to see the reports for the damages made to the bank by the dragon. But do not withdraw from my family vaults, I will be looking over my vault numbers and my contracts within the bank and see what has been syphoned off of my wages for repayment for the damages."

Ragnast looked at Hermione in feigned confusion, Hermione snorted, "Don't think I didn't know the real reason you hired me as a curse breaker. You've been taking a percentage of my pay for the repairs. The only reason I have not fought it is that it was my idea to escape on the dragon. Therefore my fault for the damages made. That stops now. I will also be talking to Harry and Ron after I see the numbers so they can look into their vaults, I'm sure between the three of us, after seven years, we have more than paid for the damages."

Rodolphus was shaking in a fury, "If I still had my wand, I would be back in Azkaban. How dare you steal from a LeStrange! I know there were reparations taken from the vaults of prisoners, the repairs to the bank would have made from those as well. You've been stealing from my daughter, you cretin!"

Hermione put a hand on her father's clenched fist, "No bother father; it is in the past. We will just change our banking establishments. Let us go and finish our business here; we have other plans today."

Ragnast was struck speechless as he watched his former employee talk to the Death Eater, he gulped back any retort that had been forming on his lips. He realised that the bank may be in real trouble. The LeStrange family was one of the oldest clients and have familial ties to other ancient and prestigious clients. Purebloods do tend to stick together, and Hermione was a war heroine who was friends with well-known wizards. This could be bad.

Hermione looked down at the goblin, "My resignation will coincide with the end of my leave, I will be back in a few days to check on the status of my vaults, all of them. I expect everything to be in order."

Ragnast nodded his head, not willing to admit defeat in front of the witch, but he would have to talk to Fillok after she and her father left, "Everything will be in order, and I will have the numbers ready for you Miss LeStrange."

Hermione nodded and turned towards the rest of the bank where everyone was still staring. Still feeling self-conscious, she took her father's arm and began to walk towards the exit when Thorfinn, Ingrid, and Adrian walked in.

Thorfinn looked around the near silent lobby of the bank as his future bride walked towards him with her father. "Miss LeStrange, a pleasure to see you again," He said politely with a smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes as whispers began around them. "Yes, I'm sure it is Thorfinn, what brings you to Gringotts today?"

"I'm transferring the accounts back to Thor's name today. Adrian and I have our accounts in Paris, and soon you and Thor will be the sole owners of the Rowle estate," Ingrid explained, "Opening the LeStrange accounts again?" She asked curiously.

"Opening and closing them," Rodolphus said curtly.

Thorfinn raised an eyebrow to Hermione, and she shook her head, "I will speak to you later about it Thorfinn, but we are off to visit family, and then I think we may go shopping after. My father has some robes and even some muggle clothing, but they are all dated, we will need to update his wardrobe." Hermione didn't explicitly say where they were going, but Thorfinn remembered about Bellatrix from the day before and figured where they were headed.

"Thorfinn can use some new clothing as well," Ingrid spoke up with a sparkle in her eye, "Do you mind if we join you for shopping?"

Hermione's jaw dropped, and she closed it quickly at the look of amusement Thorfinn wore, "I- we will be going into Muggle London as well."

"That will be fine; I shop primarily in muggle Paris, I'm familiar with muggles," Ingrid explained with a grin.

Hermione looked over at Thorfinn as if to contemplate whether the Viking should be allowed out with muggles. Thorfinn rolled his own blue eyes, "I have been around muggles before Granger, I'm not a complete idiot."

Hermione stared at him, "That fact has remained to be seen, but I suppose we need to spend time together, we are to be wed in a few months after all, why not go shopping. Muggles will be good, more people around so I don't hex your bollocks off."

Thorfinn snorted in laughter, "You just wait, you'll be very fond of my bollocks in time, I doubt you would want them gone," He whispered into her ear as to keep that tidbit of information strictly between the two of them. Hermione felt her cheeks go red and Thorfinn had to admit, the tinge of colour made her look divine.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked at Ingrid's amused face, "We must be going, please meet us there in an hour or two? I would like to give my father some time to visit." She said, ignoring Thorfinn's crass statement.

Rodolphus and Hermione both said goodbye and went on their way. As they left the bank, the noise and chatter of the bank suddenly boomed with the noise of the day and the gossip that was sure to be around the small community in no time. Thorfinn turned to the goblin, and his sister handed him the key to the vault, he needed to get a very specific piece of jewellery out of his vault, one that he was sure he would never need.

OoOoOoO

Hermione and Rodolphus walked over to the Leaky Cauldron to use the public floo; she could see people staring at them once again. She knew that seeing a convicted Death Eater roaming the streets was frightening, she had considered calling Harry to come with her to the bank, but decided that the pub would be okay for them to meet. Gringotts was not too far into the Alley, and she was sure she could make the short walk with Rodolphus without too much incident.

She had been right; they had made the walk to the brick wall without too much hassle. Hermione was sure that it was the still angry look marring Rodolphus' face that kept anyone from reacting badly. She had held onto her father's arm, and he had his free hand on hers, she could feel the tension in his fingers as he led her to the wall where Harry Potter was standing there waiting for them. A small group of witches and wizards were standing around in awe of the 'Famous Harry Potter' but gave the former Death Eater and his newly acquired daughter a wide berth as they walked up.

Harry leaned in and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and a smile to her father. More whispers followed the group into the pub as Harry led the way up to the private floo. Hermione stepped into the floo, with one final smile at the men standing in front of her, she spoke her destination clearly and was swept away in flames.